I love bacon and have used it in ice cream, and now brownies. This recipe is very fudgy, moist and have an incredible saltiness. With the first bite you can tell how bad they are for you because you just want to take the plate and hide in your room until they are all gone. To help control my inability to not eat the whole batch I only make them when company is coming over.

Yields 12 brownies and 1 cup of sauce

Ingredients:

For the brownies:

1/4 pound bacon

5 ounces semisweet chocolate chips

1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1/4 cup white sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 tablespoons bourbon

Dash of salt

2 eggs

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons cocoa powder (unsweetened)

For the sauce:

1 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup water

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 tablespoon butter

1/4 cup bourbon

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Dash of salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line the dish with parchment paper, allowing a little overhang so you can easily remove the brownies from the pan. Grease the parchment paper with nonstick cooking spray.

In a medium pan, cook bacon until crispy, about six minutes on medium-high heat. Save about 1-1/2 to 2 tablespoons bacon fat. Crumble bacon into bite-sized bits.

In a saucepan, heat chocolate and butter over low heat until melted. Pour into another mixing bowl. Add bacon fat and bourbon and beat on low speed with brown sugar and white sugar until creamy. Add eggs and salt. Gradually add in all-purpose flour and cocoa powder until mixture is fully mixed.

Pour mixture into the parchment-lined pan. Sprinkle with bacon bits. Bake for about 40 minutes, or until the brownies are set around the edges.

While brownies bake, prepare caramel sauce by mixing the sugar, water and butter in a saucepan over high heat. Bring to a boil and whisk until sugar has dissolved. Add vanilla and cream and remove from heat. Stir in bourbon. Bring mixture to a boil again over medium heat and stir. Remove from heat and pour into a sterile jar. Keep at room temperature.